Redemption
by thedragon987
Summary: Takes place after SC3. Siegfried may have destroyed Soul Edge, but now it's pieces are scattered across the world again. Siegried must find the shards, and and find a way to put a stop to this never ending nightmare once and for all
1. Prologue

Prologue:

He stood up, and walked over to a strange sword that lay embedded into the ruined floor of the cathedral. His silver armor shined heavily within the fiery chasm in which he stood. A large sword, slung over his back, shined like a dozen sapphires in the light. The sword was the Spirit Sword, Soul Calibur, and he was Siegfried, the man who had committed terrible sins in the name of the cursed sword, Soul Edge. He had vowed that he would destroy the cursed sword, and here he stood. With Soul Calibur in hand, he was prepared to fulfill his vow.

Siegfried, stepped forward, and looked down at Soul Edge. The sword mearly stared back at him. Upon making eye contact with it, he felt his right arm began to tremble. He looked down at his trembling hand. He blinked, and it changed. It looked as if it resumed the demonic shape it once was, but it returned to normal almost instantly. At this, Siegfried's head began to ach. The familiar buzzing of being driven out of his mind returned to him. He turned, and saw the familiar shape of the Azure Knight, Nightmare, limping to him from behind.

"Siegfried," it called out weakly, stretching out his own demonic right arm. "You will never escape your sin." Siegfried turned, and there was another Nightmare at his right side. "You don't have the right to live." This one said. Siegfried turned again, and saw a third Nightmare on his left. "It is a Sin for you to be alive."

The familiar buzzing in his head increased as the three nightmares approached him. Siegfried struggled to stay balanced, but collapsed to his knees. He used his Soul Calibur to help keep him from collapsing to the ground. Then a fourth Nightmare appeared behind him, wielding the cursed sword in his hand. This new Nightmare raised the sword to strike down upon the weakened Siegfried. .

Siegfried's eyes snapped open, and with one mighty strike, and cut down all four of the Nightmares with the Soul Calibur. Soul Edge, upon being struck by Soul Calibur, was shattered into many pieces that scattered into the winds.

Siegfried stood up, and looked down at his right hand again. The words Nightmare had spoken echoed in his mind. "You don't have the right to life."

Siegfried closed his hand, and looked up into the heavens. "It doesn't matter." He said. "I will live on." His voice was stern, as if making a vow to the gods themselves. "To live, that is my redemption." Siegfried shouldered the Soul Calibur, and left the ruined cathedral.


	2. Chapter 1

**Redemption**

**Chapter 1**

Several days had passed sense that day, when Siegfried had struck down Soul Edge. To him, it had seemed like a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders. The pain of having killed so many seemed lighter now that the one behind it all had been destroyed. Even so, Siegfried was compelled to come to where he now stood.

He stood underneath a great oak tree, as old as the ages. At its base, stood a single headstone, marking the grave of the man who lay buried underneath it. Siegfried knelt down before the tombstone, setting his great sword, Requiem, at his side, and clasped his hands together.

"Father," he said to the stone slab. "I've done it. I've destroyed the sword. I know, what I did to you was wrong, but I've done what I could for you. I destroyed that which drove me to do the evil deeds that I did." He closed his eyes, and lowered his head. "Please forgive me, for what I have done, father." A warm breeze blew past the tree, and with it, Siegfried's guilt was swept away.

Siegfried picked up his sword, and stood up. For the first time, in quite a while, the man smiled. Not in the evil way that he had done when he was Nightmare, but genuinely. He smiled in a way that could life the sorrow off of the most depressed heart.

Siegfried walked for a long time, with no real destination, or goal in mind. All he wanted to do was live. He wanted to live, everyday, and enjoy his freedom. As he walked, though, dark thoughts always seemed to bother him. He would never truly be able to live freely. He had killed many during his time as Nightmare. Soon, those who sought revenge for the fallen loved ones would come, and would try to kill Siegfried. That was the thought that troubled him the most; facing against the family of those whom he had killed. The thought alone put terrible nightmares into his dreams.

Siegfried decided that it was time for him to find a place to stay for the night. It was beginning to grow dark, and he had traveled sense early this morning. He found a small travelers town, and decided that this was a good place to stay. As he began to walk towards the village, he stopped and stared at it. He knew this town. It was one of many he had sacked when he was Nightmare. Most likely, he would not be welcomed back into this town, with open arms. He thought for sometime about what to do, but as he stood there, on the plain, darkness began to wrap around him, as the sun set into the distant.

At this point, Siegfried had no choice. It was far safer, in a town of people who hated him, then out on a plane at night. He pulled his traveling cloak over his head, to hide, as best as he could, the face of many people's killer.

Siegfried approached the town gate, and knocked. He could hear cursing beyond the door. A small hole opened up at eye's height, as the guard looked at the stranger.

"What do ye want?" the guard asked. He looked at Siegfried with intense suspicion.

"Please sir," he said. "I only wish to stay at the village inn." The guard looked at him again, and then shut the hole. He opened up the main door of the gate, to get a better look at Siegfried.

"Awfully late to be traveling isn't it?" he said to Siegfried. Siegfried could only nod to the man. After looking him over again, he stepped aside, and admitted Siegfried into the village. "The inn is just up that way." He said pointing down the road. "Just follow this road, and look for the sign that says 'The Old Ale.'" Siegfried nodded to the man in gratitude, and set off down the path.

As he walked along the road, many of the villager's eyes peeked out from their windows. They were curious to see who this new stranger was. Siegfried only pulled his cloak further over his head. If any one of them recognized him, it would become difficult for him.

Soon he arrived at The Old Ale, as the guard had said, and he stepped inside. The owner saw Siegfried, and promptly walked over to greet him.

"Good evening sir, what will you have?" he asked.

Siegfried looked at the little man behind the counter. "I need a place to stay for the night." He said. The owner looked Siegfried over. He saw the great sword that he had secured to his back, and pulled away. Siegfried shifted uncomfortable.

"I'm not sure if I have any rooms available right now, sir." He said. "Let me go and check for you." He hurried away.

Siegfried looked around the room where he was staying. There was a small pub, just across the hall from the main desk. Inside there were many different people laughing, and drinking happily. From what he could tell, Siegfried saw several thieves, a couple pirates, a few bandits, and one man, sitting in the corner, who had a sword at his side. Most of them were drunk and laughing happily with their party. Only the swordsman seemed sober. In fact, he sat quietly in the corner, smoking a pipe, and staying quite removed from the crowd. He looked in Siegfried's direction, and stared for a long time. Siegfried avoided looked away, trying to avoid making eye contact with the man.

When Siegfried looked again, the swordsman was gone. He scanned the bar for him, but saw no traces of him. Perhaps he had been found out, and he was running around the village telling everyone that he was here. If so, Siegfried needed to run away now, before guards arrived. As he stood contemplating his escape, he felt a hand grab his shoulder from behind.

Siegfried spun in surprise, jumped back, and grabbed the hilt of his sword. He had to stop, though, as he was face to face with the owner.

"Please forgive me sir. I did not mean to startle you." He said.

Siegfried relaxed, and let go of his sword hilt. "No, forgive, me. I overreacted." He said.

The owner smiled and nodded at Siegfried. "Tis quite alright young man. I get quite jumpy in this old place myself, what with all the riffraff in there." He jabbed his thumb at the pub. Siegfried smiled at the old man. "Oh, that's right. I am sorry to say that the only room we have available to you is the barn, outside. None of the other rooms are capable of housing your weapon." Siegfried shifted uncomfortable again, and grasped the strap that held his weapon to his back.

"That's, quite alright," Siegfried said. "The barn is just fine with me." He handed the owner a small sack of gold, and he led Siegfried out to the barn.

Siegfried looked around the place that was too be his room tonight. It was small, having only enough room for about 3 horses to stand. There was a pile of hay in the corner, that Siegfried could only assume was supposed to be a bed. A small oil lamp hung from a nearby wall.

Siegfried un-strapped his sword, and set it down near his bed. He removed his cloak, and threw it down on the pile of hay. It would have to act as a blanket for the evening. At last, he unhooked a small Chinese sword from his belt. He moved to set it down, next to his Requiem, but before he could, the Soul Calibur changed into its great sword form. He set it down, next to the Requiem, and it slowly changed back into its normal form.

Siegfried sighed, and laid down on the pile of hay. He wouldn't be able to stay long. He thought it best that he would have to leave in the morning, shortly after sunrise. He would have to hunt for his breakfast, along the way.

Siegfried pulled his cloak over his body, for warmth, and slowly began to fall asleep. Here, he had a nightmare. He was once again, possessed by the Soul Edge, and he was killing everyone who confronted him; Soldiers, bandits, thieves, rouges, women, children. All who came before him, died. Siegfried screamed in his own mind, calling for help, calling for death, anything to stop this madness.

"No Siegfried." said a voice inside his head. "You belong to me forever." His body moved on its own, toward a clean lake. He looked down at his reflection. He was no longer Siegfried. He was once again, the Azure Knight, Nightmare. As he stared in horror, the lake changed. It was no longer a clean, peaceful lake, but a like a blood; the blood of those who he had killed.

Siegfried screamed at sat upright. He was breathing heavily, and there was a cold sweat on his brow. He stood up, and tried to collect his thoughts. Even though it was only a dream, the thought still shook him. It had felt so real. He looked down at his hands, which were both shaking. He walked to the window, and looked outside. It was raining now, rather heavily. Siegfried felt glad that he was able to find a place to stay that night. It would have been terrible if he had stayed out in the rain.

Siegfried suddenly heard a slight vibrating sound coming from behind him. He turned and saw that Soul Calibur was vibrating to something. Siegfried's eyes widened in horror, as his mind came to the only conclusion he could think of. He was here. Nightmare was still alive, and here to kill Siegfried. He dashed over to his bed, and picked up the vibrating sword. It instantly transformed into it's great sword counterpart.

Several minutes passed by. Siegfried's eyes darted back and forth, looking for the perpetrator. He knew he was still there, because the Soul Calibur was still vibrating. He scanned the darkness around him, looking for the knight's armor. He slowly walked over to the window, and expected to see a demonic fist, come crashing through the glass. He chanced a peek outside, and saw nothing. He turned back again, to the barn. Standing in the middle of the small room, was the swordsman whom Siegfried had seen disappear before.

Siegfried stared at the man. He could tell that he was pulsating with an evil aura. He grinned evilly at Siegfried. "I will kill you this night." He said to Siegfried. He drew his sword, and swung it with all his might.

Siegfried easily avoided the strike, and moved to the side. He swung again, and missed again. Each time the swordsman swung his blade, Siegfried dodged, with minimal effort.

"No more games." The swordsman said, and jabbed his blade tip at Siegfried. He missed, and got his sword stuck in the wall. Siegfried raised his sword up, and cut the man's sword at the hilt.

"It's over." Siegfried said, and he turned his back on the man.

"It's never over, Azure knight." The swordsman said. Siegfried stopped, and turned to look at the man. He smiled again. "You will never be able to escape the sin's you've committed." His words slowly ate at Siegfried. He lowered his head in shame.

As he did so, the swordsman drew out a knife from his pocket, and went to stab Siegfried. He was surprised by the man's final attack. He moved to kill Siegfried, but was not fast enough. Siegfried swung his blade upward, and he cut the man in half. The two pieces of what was once the man, fell at Siegfried's sides. Siegfried sighed to himself, and reattached Soul Calibur to his belt, which quickly melted back into it's Chinese sword form.

He turned around from the corpse, picked up his sword, and reattached it to its strap. He refastened his cloak, and turned to leave. He looked down at the corpse, and it slowly began to fade away. Siegfried watched as it slowly faded away, leavening only a small metal fragment to where it was. Siegfried bent down, and looked at the metal shard. He reached down to pick it up, but his hand began to pulse. He could feel evil energy coming from this shard, and his body reacted to it. Images of his dark past began to fill Siegfried's thoughts. He started hearing the familiar buzzing in his head. He grabbed his forehead, and looked down at the metal fragment.

"Soul….Edge?" he said aloud. He picked up the tiny shard, and placed it in a small bag on his belt, near Soul Calibur. Siegfried knew that his mission was not over. Soul Edge was alive, Nightmare was alive, and he had to make sure to destroy them both. He stood on his shaky legs, and began his journey anew.


	3. Chapter 2

**Redemption Ch 2**

Siegfried knew what he had to do, but doing it was an entirely different matter. He traveled for weeks, stopping at Taverns, Inns, anyplace where he would possibly be able to find information. Each time, however, he found nothing. It seemed that the Azure night was no where to be found. Perhaps Seigfriend had over reacted, and maybe his nemisis was not alive. He thought otherwise though, every time his arm brushed against the pouch where the shart lied. '_He is alive'_ he told himself. _'I have find him, and finish him for good.'_

He continued his jounrney, and slowly began traveling in a Southern direction. He came to a lonely town in the northern part of Italy. He first walked along the main street of the town, avoiding the gazes of the towns folk. He looked along the road, but he didn't find a tavern where he might find information.

He walked up to an old man, who was selling apples out of a cart. "Excuse me." He said to the old man. The old man turned, and grinned at Siegfried.

"Well now, yount man." He said with a toothless grin. "What can i do for you today."

Siegfried hesitated before asking. "I was wondering if you might have any information about the Azure Knight." The man's grin faded almost imediatly.

"If you value your life, don't get envolved with that sword." He told him. "I've seen him, the monster that possessed the sword. It was back in my hometown of Bellencall." Seigfried remembered the little town, for it was he who had slaughtered their resedents. The man continued. "Escaped, i did, before he found me, you see. But I...I... wasn't able to save my granddaugter." His eyes began to well up in tears. He wiped them away, and turned back to Seigfried. "Anyone who trys to find that sword will be killed, and their very soul devoured by that which they seek." The old man turned back to his cart, and began pushing it along the road.

"Please," Siegfried said. "If you can't tell me anything, then at least tell me where i can find a Taveren in this town."

The old didn't stop, but shouted over his shoulder. "Check down at the other end of town." He said. "It's called the Hillside tavern."

Siegfried thanked the man, and walked in the direction of the tavern. He found it exactly where the old man had said where it would be. He entered, an almost empty room. There were a few men sitting at the back, enjoying their ale. There was another man sitting at the front counter, not drinking anything. The Tavern Keeper was behind the counter, polishing ale mugs. Siegfried walked up to the Tavern Keeper. "What'll you have." He said. Siegfried looked at the man.

"Information." He said. The Tavern Keeper put down his glass, and leaned against the counter, preparing to listen. "I'm looking for the Azure Knight, Nightmare."

The Tavern keeper picked up another glass, and began polishing it. "You've got a death wish, you do." He said. "seeking out Him of all people."

"Then you have something?" Siegfried asked. The Tavern Keeper mearly shook his head.

"Havn't heard anything for sometime." He said. "Last i heard he was heading for some ruin up north to claim what he lost." Seigfried knew that this information wouldn't help him. He figured the information to be false, because Nightmare was following Siegfriend, and he had traveled up north to a ruin where he was to destroy Soul Edge. That, of course, didn't happen. Siegfried thanked the man, and got up to leave.

"I know something." said the man at the counter. Siegfried turned to look at him. His face was pointed, and pail. His hair was greasy, and slicked back. His eyes were black, and cold, the came color as his clothing.

The Tavern keeper looked at Siegfried. "don't mind him, sir." He said. "he ain't nothin' more than a begger." At that, the strange man reached into his pocket, and pulled out a metal fragment. Siegfried stared at the fragment. It was pulsating with evil. Siegfried sat down next to the man.

"Tell me what you know." He said. The gray man slipped the metal fragment back into his pocket.

"I don't give out information for free you know." He said loudly, as he turned from Siegfried.

Siegfried looked at the Tavern keeper. "Pour him some ale." He said, and he handed him a gold piece.

The dark man smiled, as he was handed his ale. He put the mug to his mouth, and took a long drink from it. "Now, tell me what information you have." Siegfried said. The man looked him over, and sneered at him.

"Exactly what business do you have with the sword?" he asked.

"My business is my own." Siegfried replied. The man sneered at him again, as he pulled out the metal shard. He set it upon the counter, and turned to Siegfried.

"I found that shard but a week ago." He said. "I was strolling through the fields as I always do, star gazing. It was then, that I spotted something most irregular." He picked up the shard, and waved it before Siegfried's face. "Through the sky, this little fragment came souring down to the ground before me." Siegfried's ears began ringing again. He shook off the feeling and continued the listen.

"Of course I knew exactly what this was, right away." He said. "One of the lost fragments of Soul Edge. Of course no one in this drabble of a town believes me." He picked up his mug of ale, and took another great swig of it.

"and the fragment does not effect you?" Siegfried asked.

"Of course not." He said. "the sword can only offer power to it's holder. A seeker of knowledge, like myself, as no use for such things." The man hiccupped.

"Do you happen to know where I might be able to find more of these shards?" Siegfried asked.

"I saw several other fragments…"he stopped and took another swig of ale. "They fell in the direction of the valley, to the east, home to a thief's lair." The man leaned back to down what was left of the ale. In doing so, he fell backwards. Siegfried bent down to check on the man. He had fallen asleep in a drunken stupor. He helped him into his chair, and allowed him the chance to rest. He turned back to the Tavern Keeper.

"Where is this thief's lair?" he asked him. At this, the Tavern Keeper lost himself.

"No hold on their sir," he said. "I may have allowed you to buy that fool ale, and listen to his story, but on no accounts am I going to let you walk into that death trap because of a liar." Siegfried ignored him, and picked up the metal fragment.

"He does not lie." He said, and he held up the metal fragment. "This truly is a shard of Soul Edge." His eyes widened at this, and Siegfried placed the shard in his pouch next to the other fragment. "Now, tell me, where is that thief's lair?" he asked again. The Tavern keeper pointed to the east. "It's called the Water Mill Valley." He said. Siegfried bowed to the man, to show appreciation, and he moved towards the door. When he arrived, the other three gentlemen who were in the tavern were blocking his path.

"We'll be taking those shards from ye now. They're bound to be worth somethin', to the right person. Siegfried only smiled at the men.

Five minutes later, the door of the Tavern opened, as Siegfried stepped over the unconscious bodies of the three men who attempted to stop him. He secured his sword to his back, and left the village, heading east. He knew it wasn't much of a clue, but it was something. At very least he would be able to recover a few shards of Soul Edge, and prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.

Siegfried covered the distance to the valley in next to no time. The moment he arrived, he began searching for some kind of clue that might lead him to those shards. He searched for most of the day, and into the evening. Shortly after the sunset, Siegfried began to lose hope.

"Perhaps it was merely the lies of some drunken fool." He said to himself. "I see no shards of Soul Edge, nor any signs that any thief lives here." Almost as if he summoned it himself, a masked fighter jumped from behind the rock, and knocked him to the ground. Although he was small, he was very strong. He held a tonfa in each hand. Siegfried stood up, and readied himself for another assult. The masked fighter ran at him again. Siegfried was prepared and moved to grab him. He dodged, and push Siegfried back to the ground.

Siegfried got up, and drew out his sword. He had not expected anyone in this forsaken ruin to be of any consequence. Yet, here he was, faced with a very powerful opponent. The masked fighter saw that Siegfried had drawn his sword, and readied to attack. His movements were lightning quick, which made it very difficult for Siegfried to fight. Carrying around such a large sword was difficult, and even harder to fight with.

Siegfried was knocked down to the ground several more times. The inhuman speed of this worrier was nearly unsurpassable. He could only recall one time in which he faced such overwhelming speed, and he was not able to conquer it then. The masked worrier moved again, knocking him down, and allowing him to rise again. Whoever this person was, it was clear that he was not out to kill Siegfried. He merely wished for Siegfried to give up.

He raised himself to a knee, and looked at his opponent. "I will not give up." He said. The masked fighter moved again, as if to finish the fight, but at this point, Siegfried was prepared. He swung his sword with all his might, to cut down the masked fighter. He dodged the attack, and moved to strike Siegfried down. Siegfried, however, continued swinging his sword around his body. He turned his blade, so that he would strike with the flat end of the sword, and made contact with it.

The masked fighter crumbled under the weight of the blow, and was sent flying. He hit a nearby rock, and fell to the ground. Siegfried got up, and sheathed his sword. He slowly walked over to the masked fighter, and removed the mask that hid his face. What surprised Siegfried the most was the fact that his adversary, was a young woman.

He stared at her for some time, trying to contemplate how someone so young would be able to give him so much trouble. While lost in his thoughts, something hit him from behind. Siegfried spun around, and saw several frightened little children, throwing small rocks, and apples at him.

"You big meanie." One of the boys cried. "You leave Talim alone." Siegfried could only assume that he was talking about the young girl who now lay unconscious at his feet. Talim, began to stir, and she opened her eyes, to see the face of Siegfried looking down upon her. She immediately grabbed her tonfas, and stood up, prepared to fight again.

"Put away your weapon." Siegfried said to her. "I am not the one you should be fearing." Talim stared at him for a while, trying to see if he truly was sincere. As a sign of good will, Siegfried pulled off his sword, and threw it at her feet. Talim stared at the sword, and then looked back up at Siegfried. "Will you listen to me now?" he asked her.

Talim could only stare at him. "Who are you?" she asked him.


End file.
